The first running of the Irish American Celebration Weekend, as part of the “Invest in Ourselves” breeding initiative announced earlier this year, will be held this Saturday and Sunday (June 5-6) at Portmarnock Raceway.
The event, launched by the the Irish Harness Racing Association (IHRA), is in recognition of the financial and organizational support that they have received from industry leaders and globally recognized farms in the United States of America, including Bill Donovan, Hanover Shoe Farms and Winbak Farms.
The weekend will feature 17 races, including the inaugural four-year-old graduate races and The Derby and The Oaks for three-year-old horses. The inclusion of these races will see an increase in prize money. The weekend racing will culminate with Graded Handicap Trot & Pace Races and Grade One Pace Races seeking the top Standardbred horses in both codes from across Ireland to compete. Plans already include top drivers, trainers and industry leaders from the U.S. to attend the event next year once COVID restrictions have been lifted.
To promote and highlight the ties between the harness racing communities of Ireland and the U.S., as well as showcase the great racing that will be available this coming weekend at Portmarnock Raceway, a number of the top professionals from across both countries' industries have been interviewed. These will be released leading up to and during the weekend and will include the main sponsors of the event, Bill Donovan and representatives from Hanover Shoe Farms and Winbak Farms, as well big names in U.S. harness racing like John Campbell, Casie Coleman and Yannick Gingras. Racing will commence both days at 2 p.m. Irish time. The whole weekend will be live streamed and available to watch in real time from across a number of media outlets including IHRA TV, which can be found on the IHRA website.
The Irish American Celebration Weekend is set to become one of the most important dates annually in the Irish harness racing calendar and is a great example of the international interest and investment that is being given to help support, promote and grow the sport in Ireland.
(Irish Harness Racing Association)